Servant of the Steel Road
by arigatoho
Summary: She's lost again, in more ways than one. Might as well keep moving.    —SasuOC
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

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><p>The sun was setting again.<p>

It disappeared behind the horizon as shadows grew and stretched until a thick blanket of darkness covered the ground. The cheerful daylight animals retired to their homes for the night, the chirping of birds turned to the chirping of crickets.

One by one the stars peeked at the world from under their blankets, watching as civilians returned home to warm embraces, warm suppers, and even warmer beds.

But the calm demeanor of the night is belied. A faint rustle here, a swoosh of air there, the soft clink of metal brushing metal.

Shinobi are wide awake.

Stealthily moving, silently killing. They hold great and terrible power, power capable of bringing the world to its knees. They hold respect; they are watched with apprehension and excitement. When night falls, their duties truly begin. Neither seen nor heard, they blend into the night. They are not human. They do not feel nor are they felt for.

They are tools.

_Shinobi_: living, breathing, warm-blooded

_Shinobi_: emotionless, detached, cold-blooded; servants of the state

All wrapped up in the tiny, fragile bodies of men.


	2. Frostbite

**Chapter 1**

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><p>Her eyes shot open. <em>Click click<em>. The noise came from outside the room, someone in the hall.

_Crap, not this again. _She willed herself to be still, almost inhumanly so. After all, even if whatever it was _was _dangerous, she stood no chance. This she knew.

And if it wasn't, well. Better safe than sorry, no?

Turning to stone like this was a defense mechanism she'd built up over the years. Every time she found herself in a situation where she was practically useless, she let herself form into a rigid, stone cold block. Of course, this pretty much did nothing since her body stayed exactly the way it was: fragile, easily bruised, and defenseless.

But still, her mind was strong and built a wall against any type of abuse or pain waiting.

And she waited. And waited. And waited, until she got up the courage to sneak a peek at the clock.

It glowed in that ugly green color, 2:47 am.

_No one in their right mind is up at this ungodly hour. Guess that just means it's a serial killer and I'm going to die. How lovely._

She chuckled inwardly at the thought. Oh how easily she could accept her own death.

A door creaked loudly out in the hallway. She jumped. _Heh. I guess I'll live another day._

She watched a shadow creep past her door. _Just another tired soul walking to a room to get some sleep._ She snuggled deeper into the cheap blankets and waited for sleep to pull down on her eyelids.

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><p>Warm, oh so warm. A smile spread across her face as she cracked open an eye. Little pinpricks of sunlight were shining on her face; it almost tickled.<p>

The clock told her it was 10 o'clock. _Ugh. I really have to get going. But man a good night's sleep feels good. _She smiled to herself a bit again. She sat up and yawned loudly, stretching her arms and back. A look into the cruddy little mirror across the room told her she should clean herself up.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she scrubbed furiously at her teeth. The toothpaste was a white frothy mess around her lips, but eh. She rinsed, splashed some water on her face, and quickly grabbed a hair-tie to throw her hair up in a bun. One last look in the mirror; she could've done with a smidge of eyeliner but time was not on her side this morning.

She gathered all her belongings from the room quite quickly. It's not as if there was much. A bag, her wallet, a few stray clothing articles. Oh and, a few of those kunai in case any of those pesky ninjas tried to bother her. Or anyone else for that matter.

She didn't bother taking a last glance at the room before she walked out the door. Even if she left anything in there, it was easily replaceable. As long as she had that one thing…A few seconds of rummaging through the bag confirmed that she had not forgotten it.

No one in the hallway. _Cool. _She wasn't in the mood for socializing. None of the people in this town were interesting and she didn't trust their motives anyway. _Oh man. _She groaned quietly as she walked down the stairs, remembering the perky girl who had given her a room last night. _No doubt she'll bombard me with questions._ She was nice enough of course, just a little too friendly; a little too talkative.

"Good morning Junko!" she chirped brightly, "How was your stay at the Taguchi Inn?"

_As expected. Hmm, didn't know we were on a first name basis. Well, at least she remembered my name, now what was hers…Oh, got it._

"It was very nice, Asami. Thank you for asking."

"Oh! Are you leaving? Was it something I did? We don't get many girls my age staying here…and I just well…I was hoping you might stay for a while," the girl gushed. It was kind of sweet actually. _But I really do have to get going._

"Oh no, no! Of course it wasn't anything you did. I've just really got to get going. It was awfully nice to meet you," Junko replied with a shy smile.

"Well, can you at least stay the rest of the morning and have breakfast with me?" she pleaded. Normally those puppy dog eyes made her eye twitch, but Junko relented. There was something genuine about this girl, and it chipped away at Junko's misanthropy a bit.

But before she could answer, her stomach did. A hot blush found its way across the pale girl's face and a look of complete bashfulness replaced the calm, polite façade that had been there a moment ago.

"U-uhm s-sure," she managed to stutter out. The gleeful look promptly returned to Asami's face and she let out a girlish squeal and clapped. She practically bounced up from behind the counter to take Junko by the arm and lead her to the modest dining area.

Junko sighed quietly. _Not even noon and I've managed to make a fool of myself… _She then realized just how tight Asami's grip really was. A wince wanted to show on her face, but she kept herself calm.

_No no no! That'll leave a bruise! _A sigh of relief escaped her as Asami plopped her down on a chair. "What would you like to eat?" she asked joyfully.

"U-uhh you c-can surprise me."

Squeal. "Alright! I'll be right back!" with that she was gone, and Junko was alone again. She rubbed her arm, cursing inwardly, thinking about the bruises lurking just under her skin. Honestly, the girl's rambunctiousness was a bit scary…

A sudden chill snapped Junko out of her thoughts. She gently scanned the room for any sign of an open door or window. The cold was not her thing. Even if she did like wintertime, being cold was one of the things she hated most.

But nothing was open, and the heater was in fact on. Junko brought her arms around herself in an effort to keep warm, and as she did, she noticed a boy —man— slip quietly and relatively unnoticed into a corner booth.

The chill ran up her spine this time, as she realized the coldness was coming from him.

_He's a shinobi._

The most dangerous kind, it seemed. He lacked any indication of rank or village association…his _hitai-ate_ was nowhere to be found. _Missing-nin..and he only looks about my age. But then again shinobi are known for their illusions._ His head snapped up at her. He knew she was watching.

She gently lowered her gaze. He seemed to have embedded the frost in her. She couldn't shake it.

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><p><strong>What do you guys think? Worth continuing?<strong>


End file.
